Jean Leinhauser - Crochet Master Class: Lessons and Projects from Todays Top Crocheters

Copyright 2010 by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Potter Craft, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.pottercraft.com

POTTER CRAFT and colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Leinhauser, Jean.
Crochet master class : lessons and projects from todays top
crocheters / Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-96552-3
1. Crocheting. I. Weiss, Rita. II. Title.
TT820.L439 2010
746.434dc22 2010022301

Photography by Alexandra Grablewski,
Carol Wilson Mansfield, and Marshall Williams

Senior Technical Editor: Ellen W. Liberles
Editors: Mary Ann Frits, Susan Lowman, Kathy Wesley
Cover design by Susi Oberhelman
Front cover photograph by Carol Wilson
from Afghans for All Reasons & All Seasons by
Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss, published by Leisure Arts,
is used here by special permission of the publisher.

v3.1

W hat if you could take a class with a master crocheter? Or finally learn how to do tapestry crochet, Irish crochet, or free-form crochet from the very best needleworkers around? What if you could stay in the comfort of your home and learn these wonderful techniques from crocheters around the world? Weve made that possible in this collection featuring masters of crochet.

Between the two of us we have almost one hundred years of involvement in crochet. And during that time we have always been fascinated by crocheters who could find new uses for their hooks and yarn or thread, or who have resurrected an old skill and added new twists to it.

We like to think of those innovative crocheters as real masters, and weve always wanted to thank them for keeping crochet a vital, living craft. And because writing books has been our livelihood for so many years, we decided to write a book that would honor each of the masters and would make more people aware of these wonderful skills.

With so many talented crocheters weve known and read about, this was not to be an easy job! First we drew up a list of the skills and the crocheters we wanted to honor. There were old favorite techniques like filet crochet, for example, and the filet master who immediately came to mind was a young man from East Germany who escaped and made his home in California: Harmut Hass. Through his website and his many articles and books, he has brought new interest in and developed new techniques that expand the scope of filet crochet.

Some other techniques presented more of a challenge in finding a present-day practitioner. For example, we loved the look of Bruges crochet, an imitation of the famed Bruges tape laces, which we discovered in vintage pieces of crocheted table linens in photos from years ago. We were afraid, however, that we would not be able to find someone who was working in this craft today. So imagine our surprise when, a few years ago at the Crochet Guild of Americas annual Chain Link conference fashion show, we saw a model coming down the runway wearing a spectacular contemporary outfit made of Bruges crochet! And, sitting in the audience quietly smiling was the creator of that outfit, Tatyana Mirer. We had found our master!

We like to think of these innovative crocheters as real masters, and weve always wanted to thank them for keeping crochet a vital, living craft.

Then there were all the other crocheters who breathed new life into techniques such as Irish crochet, overlay crochet, hairpin lace, and bullion stitch. Some of these crocheters had discovered old, nearly forgotten techniques almost by accident and then became fascinated by them. Their constant experimentation has resulted in fresh, innovative pieces that keep the craft alive, well, and constantly moving forward.

Our purpose in this book is to showcase the work of these talented designers and then let you try your hand at each skill with a project designed just for this book.

Our masters have indicated the skill level needed for each project, following the skill level definitions developed by the Craft Yarn Council of America. A definition of these skill levels appears .

And, just in case you want to brush up some of your crochet skills, weve given you a simple .

We invite you now to join us as we introduce you to some the worlds most talented and interesting crocheters, who tell you how they got started and eventually focused on refining a special skill, who explain their craft, enchant you with a mini-gallery of photographs of their other crochet work, and who then provide you with a project that will enable you to expand your own crochet experience.

Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

A gift of a Tartan rug for ones family or clan is among the most personal of gifts. I was fascinated with woven Tartan/plaid afghans that seemed to transform stripes into checks, and I was determined to master a crochet version of the technique. My mother, who didnt know how to crochet, demanded that I learn the technique so I could teach her. Today its my mums favorite.

Jenny King

U ntil recently Jenny Kings major crochet achievement was the designing and making of her own crocheted wedding dress and veil, which she created more than thirty years ago. Today her major achievement is teaching Australians to crochet for the first time and reigniting a spark of interest in lapsed crocheters all over Australia and New Zealand.

Several years ago the largest craft show held in Australia and New Zealand made Jenny the featured artist. This gave her the opportunity to promote crochet as a modern and exciting craft. She was interviewed on TV and in the press, which allowed her not only to promote crochet but to teach hundreds of people to crochet. Her quote was that she was taking over the world one crocheter at a time.

Self-taught from the age of eight, Jenny has been crocheting for more than forty years, designing and marketing clothes, including bikinis, since the age of fourteen. Today, Jenny self-publishes her pattern books, covering a diverse cross section of crochet, from woven afghans, such as the one featured here, to bead crochet. Her aim is to write easy-to-understand and contemporary patterns to encourage people to crochet. Her designs appear in magazines all over the world as well as in exhibitions where many of them have won awards.